Geographic and Economic Particularities of the U.K.

News Article

• Spend 3 minutes reading the article.• Note what is important about the article– What is the author trying to say?– Do you agree with what they say?– Why do you disagree/agree?

England- Geographic Particularities• England is closer to the European continent than

any other part of mainland Britain. • It is separated from France by a 34-kilometre (21

mi) sea gap, though the two countries are connected by the Channel Tunnel.

• England also has shores on the Irish Sea, North Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

• There are many lakes in England; the largest is Windermere.

Windermere Lake

River Thames

England- Economic Particularities• England's economy is one of the largest in the

world, with an average GDP per capita of £22,907.

• The official currency in England is the pound sterling=GBP

• The economy of England is the largest part of the UK's economy.

• London, home to the London Stock Exchange, the main stock exchange of Europe.

• London is the largest financial centre in Europe, and as of 2009 is also the largest in the world.

Wales- Geo• Wales is a generally mountainous country on the

western side of central southern Great Britain.• Much of Wales' diverse landscape is

mountainous, particularly in the north and central regions.

• The mountains were shaped during the last ice age.

• The highest mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia, of which five are over 1,000 m – The highest of these is Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), at 1,085

m (3,560 ft).

Wales- Economic• Over the last 250 years, Wales has been

transformed first from a predominantly agricultural country to an industrial, and now a post-industrial economy.

• Since the Second World War, the service sector has come to account for the majority of jobs.

• The Welsh landscape (protected by three national parks) and 45 Blue Flag beaches, as well as the unique culture of Wales, attract large numbers of tourists, who play an especially vital role in the economy of rural areas.– Wales lacks a large metropolitan centre.

Northern Ireland- Geo

• The centrepiece of Northern Ireland's geography is Lough Neagh, at 151 square miles (391 km2) the largest freshwater lake both on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles.

• Most of NI is flat lands and it has large gold deposits.

Northern Ireland- Economics• The Northern Ireland economy is the smallest of

the four economies in the United Kingdom. • Northern Ireland has traditionally had an

industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles, but most heavy industry has since been replaced by services, primarily the public sector.

• Tourism also plays a big role in the local economy. More recently the economy has benefited from major investment by many large multi-national corporations into high tech industry.

Scotland- GP• The total area is 78,772 km, comparable to the size of the

Czech Republic. • Scotland's only land border is with England, and runs for 96

kilometres between the basin of the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west.

• The Atlantic Ocean borders the west coast and the North Sea is to the east.

• The Highlands and Islands lie to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which runs from Arran to Stonehaven.

• Scotland has over 790 islands, which are divided into four main groups: Shetland, Orkney, and the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides.

• There are numerous bodies of freshwater including Loch Lomond and Loch Ness.

Scotland- EP

• Traditionally, the Scottish economy has been dominated by heavy industry underpinned by the shipbuilding in Glasgow, coal mining and steel industries.

• Petroleum related industries associated with the extraction of North Sea oil have also been important employers from the 1970s, especially in the north east of Scotland.

• Tourism is widely recognised as a key contributor to the Scottish economy.